In The Secret Gate Mitchell Zuckoff delivers the courage and sacrifice of a prominent Afghan writer and an American diplomat during the collapse of Afghanistan

Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff tells about the epic search for missing World War II Coast Guard soldiers who were on a rescue mission. The book provides and intense glimpse into a forgotten moment in history.

Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea to raise moral Colonel Prossen gave the soldiers a treat – a sightseeing tour, from the air, of a lost valley nicknamed Shangri-La.

Favorite book quotes from this week, including Jeff Shaara, Mitchell Zuckoff, Daphne Kalotay, & Tami Hoag

The book editors at Amazon.com have chosen their top 10 books for the first half of 2013. 1. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson What if you could live again and again, until you got it right? On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born to an English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in a variety of ways, while the young century marches on towards its second cataclysmic world war. Does Ursula’s apparently infinite number of lives give her the power to save the world from its inevitable destiny? And if she can — will she? Darkly comic, startlingly poignant, and utterly original — this is Kate Atkinson at her absolute best. 2. The Son by Philipp Meyer Philipp Meyer, the acclaimed author of American Rust, returns with The Son: an epic of the American West and a multigenerational saga of power, blood, land, and oil that follows the rise of…

Here are the books I enjoyed the most this year. This list is of books I read, not only published in 2011. First and foremost – this is THE best book I’ve read this year. From some reason it didn’t get much attention in the US. We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen “We, The Drowned” (Web­site) by Carsten Jensen is a spell­bind­ing, award win­ning (Danske Banks Lit­ter­atur­pris) fic­tional book which spans 100 years in the lives of the inhab­i­tants of the small Dan­ish coastal town Marstal. Jensen’s debut novel is already hailed as an instant clas­sic and right­fully so. Non-Fiction: Auschwitz by Dr. Miklós Nyiszli Auschwitz: A Doctor’s Eye­wit­ness Account by Dr. Mik­lós Nyis­zli is a non-fiction mem­oir of a Jew­ish Hun­gar­ian med­ical doc­tor who per­formed “research” on other Jews with the evil Dr. Josef Men­gele aka “Angel of Death”. This is not an easy book to read, but an impor­tant one. Elizabeth and Hazel by David Margolick Eliz­a­beth and Hazel: Two Women of Lit­tle Rock by David Mar­golick is a non fic­tion book about two ladies who were made famous by the press. The book looks his­tory square in the eye and doesn’t flinch. Gated Grief by Leila Levinson “Gated Grief: The Daugh­ter of a GI Con­cen­tra­tion Camp Lib­er­a­tor Dis­cov­ers a Legacy of Trauma” by Leila Levin­son who started the…

Ever wanted to know what to get the men in your life besides tools, a silly tie or something which will end up in the attic on January 1? Here are the answers to your prayers. For the “I want to read just one book I could talk about in parties” type of guy: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami For the “I like emotional books but want people to think I’m reading a war novel” manly man: The Polski Affair by Leon H. Gildin For your “I like intellectual books” boyfriend who wants to impress you: Georg Letham: Physician and Murderer by Ernst Weiss For the “hey dude, it’s a classic” guy:The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller For your uncle that grew a stomach and converted to Buddhism: Across Many Mountains by Yangzom Brauen or Fire Monks by Colleen Morton Busch For your second cousin that keeps saying how he hates the classics: Dracula by Bram Stoker For your neighbor that decorates his house the day after Halloween: Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett For your long lost cousin. living in a log cabin and still believes that the South shall rise:The Civil War: A Visual History For your brother…

As those who follow this blog know that I love books about the military, fiction and non-fiction. In honor of Veterans Day I thought I’d post a list of books I enjoyed over the past year or two about this subject. I assume we all love to read about something which is close to our hearts, whether it’s a place, a feeling or an experience. I know I do. Non-Fiction: Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose A fas­ci­nat­ing book about the Euro­pean the­ater in World War II, as told by the men on the front lines, not a media hug­ging offi­cer or a dry his­to­rian. Ambrose cap­tures the sense of his­tory from both sides of the fence, sticks to the facts as we know them and keeps his com­ments to a minimum. Command Influence By Robert A. Shaines A cap­ti­vat­ing book in which Mr. Shaines recounts his mem­o­ries as a defend­ing lawyer in the case of The United States v. Lt. George C. Schreiber. Lt. Schreiber was the appointed scape­goat in a trial for the mur­der of a Korean man (whose real name was never found). Mr. Shaines, a mil­i­tary attor­ney on the Lieutenant’s defense team, was fight­ing a bat­tle which…

Current Giveaways: ======================================================== More Giveaways Coming Soon ======================================================== Past Contests One copy of The Man Who Came and Went by Joe Stillman – Ended July 21, 2022 One copy of Never Give Up by Bear Grylls – Ended March 16, 2022 Enter to win a mobi for Kindle copy of Cerebral Palsy: ‘A Story’ Finding the Calm After the Storm (3 winners)- Ended June 11, 2 $50 Amazon Gift Card from A September to Remember: Searching for Culinary Pleasures at the Italian Table by Carole Bumpus – Ended June 1, 2021 One copy of signed copy of Good Grammar Is the Life of the Party, swag, & a $25 Amazon Gift Card – Ended One copy of Hawthorn Woods By Patrick Canning – Ended July 13, 2020 One copy of The Last Sword Maker by Brian Nelson – Ended June 30, 2020 One copy of Becoming Superman by J. Michael Straczynski – Ended August 13, 2019 One copy of The Storm over Paris by William Ian Grubman – Ended February 14, 2019 One copy of The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson – Ended February 7, 2019 One copy of Samurai Castles by Jennifer Mitchellhill – Ended August 30, 2018 One…